North Carolina Community College System
NCCC System Office in Raleigh, NC
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| Type | Community college |
|---|---|
| Established | 1963 |
| President | James C. Williamson, Ph. D. |
| Undergraduates | 780,000+ |
| Location | Statewide, North Carolina, USA |
| Campus | 58 campuses |
| Website | www.nccommunitycolleges.edu |
The North Carolina Community College System (System) is a statewide network of 58 public community colleges. The System enrolls over 780,000 students annually and is the third largest community college system in the nation. It also provides the North Carolina Learning Object Repository as a central location to manage, collect, contribute, and share digital learning resources for use in traditional or distance learning environments.
In the years following World War II, North Carolina began a rapid shift from an agricultural to an industrial economy. With that change came an awareness that a different kind of education was needed in the state. People who did not desire a four-year baccalaureate education nevertheless had the need for more than a high school diploma.
In 1950, the State Superintendent of Public Instruction authorized a study of the need for a system of tax-supported community colleges. The resulting report, by Dr. Allan S. Hurlburt, was published in 1952. It proposed a plan for development of state supported community colleges. In 1957, the North Carolina General Assembly adopted the first Community College Act and provided funding for community colleges.
The same (1957) General Assembly also provided funding to initiate a statewide system of Industrial Education Centers. These centers were to train adults and selected high school students in skills needed by industry. By 1961, there were five public junior colleges emphasizing arts and sciences, and seven industrial education centers focusing on technical and vocational education.
The need to coordinate these two post-high school education systems led Governor Terry Sanford to appoint the Governor's Commission on Education Beyond the High School (Irving Carlyle, chair). In 1962, this commission recommended that the two types of institutions be brought into one administrative organization under the State Board of Education and local boards of trustees. The resulting unified community college system would provide comprehensive post-high school education. One of the system's most important early advocates was Dr. Dallas Herring of Rose Hill, then chair of the State Board of Education.
In May 1963, the General Assembly, in line with the Carlyle Commission report, enacted into law G.S. 115A (later changed to 115D), which provided for the establishment of a Department of Community Colleges under the State Board of Education and for the administration of institutions in the Community College System. There were then 20 industrial education centers, six community colleges (three of which became four year schools in 1963), and five extension units.
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